Heartlines
by Yasmin Kamiya
Summary: Collection of random drabbles, sprung from my overly active imagination. (Chapter 4) Broken - because you always hurt the one you love...
1. Betrayal

This story will be a collection of random drabbles, sprung from my overly active imagination. Little pieces I felt like writing or worlds I felt like exploring. Some will be small; others can be huge.

This little piece was written for a 150 words crime-themed challenge. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

 **Betrayal**

For the first time, he was seeing her performing. It was impossible not to admire her precise and graceful moves, evidence of years of training and discipline. Hiding in the shadows, she moved as a feline, silent and discreet, unaware that tonight she was the prey. The infamous burglar had fall on his trap.

Patiently, the detective waited for her to drop her guard. Then, he rounded her, trying to subjugate her by force. Thanks to her incredible dexterity, she escaped and run for the window. In the last moment, he caught her. And, by the moonlight, he recognized the blue eyes that he loved so much...

Surprised, he let her escape from his embrace. Disbelieving, he saw her jumping out of the window. Hurt, he saw her running away. Betrayed, he aimed his gun and shot the runaway figure disappearing into the night with tears on her eyes and his name on her lips...


	2. Priorities

This story turned out completely different than I've originally envisioned, as if it had a life of its own. Read at your own discretion but be warned: waff alert ahead.

Yasmin

* * *

 **Priorities**

The sound of the keys unlocking the entrance door broke up his concentration. His eyes roamed to the right bottom corner of the computer screen, checking the time. He pursed his lips together, disappointed with the passage of the time, and once again focused on the screen, struggling to finish the email on his hands.

From the entrance, muffled sounds indicated that the newcomer had just displaced her keys in the glass bowl used for that effect and was now removing her jacket and shoes. Soon, she was moving further into the apartment.

"Hey!"

At the sound of her voice, Kenshin lifted his eyes from the computer to find his girlfriend peeking through the doorframe of his office.

"Hi" he replied back.

A sad smile appeared in her lips.

"Still working?" she asked.

His gaze returned to the computer and his unfinished email. And there were still several tasks to do before he was able to call it a night.

"Yeah." It was all he was able to say. He was in the middle of a demanding project that required him working overtime and to bring work to home most nights and even some weekends. He was tired, worn-out and stressed. He didn't feel like talking much, beside his girlfriend already knew about his current situation.

"No problem. I'm going to take care of dinner!" she replied, trying to sound cheerful.

He could see through her pretense. His eyes flew back to her in time to grasp her downcast look, as she turned around. She was unhappy and he knew it.

"Kaoru, wait!" He called for her before she was able to disappear into the apartment.

She turned around slowly. This time he really looked at her, appreciating her beautiful features and taking notice of her aspect. It's so stupid how sometimes we forgot to appreciate what we have right by our side. He smiled and spread his arms to her.

"Come here, love!" he begged, pulling the chair away from the desk.

He was greeted with a genuine smile from her. Then she crossed his office to melt in his embrace.

They stayed there for a while just holding each other, feeling each other. He could smell the odor of jasmine on her, from her favorite perfume. His hands were on the small of her back, pulling her to him. He could feel her hands entangled on his hair. She kissed the top of his head before switching positions so she could sit on his lap, burrowing herself further into him and hiding her face on his neck. But then, he heard the chair cracking.

"I'm not sure if the chair will be able to hold us, honey" he whispered in her ear.

She moved her head a bit so she could look into his eyes, and pretended to be insulted by his words.

"Are you calling me fat?"

He laughed and nodded his head.

"How could I say that about you? You are absolutely perfect, honey! I'm just pointing out that the two of us might be a little too much for this chair."

Her fingers traced the muscles of his chest.

"I don't care" she replied with a mischievous smile.

He could feel her holding him tighter and her face returned to her favorite hiding spot: his neck.

"I just want to stay here holding you". She added.

He wanted that as well. So he closed his eyes, cuddling her, relinquishing on the feel of her body close to his.

"I missed you" her words were low and muffled, barely inaudible.

"I missed you too" He smiled and kissed her head.

He felt guilty for his carelessness towards her. She was the most important person in his life and he barely made time for her. He pulled her out of his embrace so he could look upon her face.

"I'm sorry I've been so negligent with you, lately."

With her finger she shushed his lips.

"I know Kenshin… I know how important your work is and how hard you have been on it. I understand that and I accept it" a small smile played on her lips "but… but sometimes I cannot help but miss you… but I know that things will be back to normal soon. At least I hope so."

He smiled at her words.

"Besides, you will have to compensate me somehow for this" she added, playfully, rubbing her nose on his.

For a moment he wondered what he had done to deserve such a comprehensive and supportive girlfriend. And realized how much he needed her around and how much he really missed her.

"I will" he replied, looking deeply into her eyes.

She smiled then gazed away for a moment, brooding some passing thought.

"But… Kenshin, I miss talking with you…" she admonished, with a low voice "I don't want to burden you, but sometimes it would be nice if I was able to talk about my life and my problems with you".

She was right and he knew it. He had been a crappy boyfriend, too absent and negligent. She deserved better. Well, he could be better to her and he should be if he wanted to keep her!

Once again he gazed his computer and his unfinished email. Then he made a decision. He closed the lid of his computer and pulled Kaoru off from his embrace and up.

"So, what do you think if we skipped the cooking part and ordered some pizza tonight? You can tell me all of what is been going on with your life over dinner and then we could spend the rest of the night cuddling and watching a movie."

"But you have to work! Your work is important!" she babbled, feeling confused with the change in plans.

"No more than you Kaoru… and the truth is I also miss being with you. I guess we both need some 'we' time together."

He took a double look to his sexy girlfriend.

"Besides, I'm not the kind of guy that lefts my girl needy." He added, playfully.

She blushed, taking in the double sense of his words.

"Kenshin!" she playfully punched him in his chest.

He easily got a hold of her fists and pulled her close. One of his arms encircled the small of her back and the other moved to her face to caress her check. Her skin felt like velvet on his hands. Then he traced her lips with his fingers. She gasped.

His kiss was gentle and affectionate. As he pulled back, he watch her slowly open her eyes and hold her gaze on his. He got lost in her bright blue eyes.

"I love you Kaoru. You are always my priority. You are allowed to punch me next time I forget that."

Her smile was dazzling.

"I won't forget that!"


	3. Rejection

Because to love is to be vulnerable.

Yasmin

* * *

 **Rejection**

His eyes sparkled like molten gold. She could feel his power burning through her skin, raw and intense, where his hands pierced her arms. She knew she should be scared but, instead, she was inexplicable drawn to him. She wanted nothing more than to be held by those arms that could easily burn this world and the next. Besides, his words hurt her more than his hands could ever do…

"Do you understand? We have to end this."

He looked deep into her dazed blue eyes. He was a demon. She, a fallen angel. There was no place in any of the known worlds for a love like that. It was strictly forbidden. The contact between such powerful opposite entities was too dangerous to ever be allowed.

He had the knowledge of the times. For centuries he had roamed world after world and never, since the apocalypse, a creature of the dark like him had been allowed to touch such a light creature as that in front of him. But Kaoru, this beautiful and stubborn angel, was too young to understand that and was incredibly naïve. She had yet much to see, much to experience and much to learn.

"But I don't care about our differences! You might be a demon but that doesn't make you one of the bad guys. Why can't they see that?"

Always an idealist… And that idealism was the main reason why she had been expelled of her own heaven. But even a fallen angel was not allowed to fall in love for a demon. He knew that. And deep down, she knew that as well.

He relaxed his grip on her and brought one hand to caress her cheek. Her skin felt like velvet on his fingers. He couldn't bear hurting her but the fate that awaited them if they followed this course was ten thousand times worse.

"You know that they will never allow something like this. They will haunt us down and… you know what the punishment for something like this is. I could never do that to you."

Because the punishment for such a crime was an atrocity far worse than death. No living soul deserved such a treatment, much less such a vulnerable and trusting creature as the fallen angel in front of him, whom had stolen his heart.

He loved her like he had never loved another soul. Her sweet and innocent smile had brought peace to his turbulent heart, her kindness conveyed warmth to his cold life. She had been so receptive of him that he had let his guard down to a point of almost no return. Until he realized what she was and how forbidden their relationship was…

His eyes traced her face: her caring blue eyes, sparkling with unshed tears; her cute little nose that used to buried on his neck seeking for warm in the cold mountain air; those rosy lips he loved to kiss to infinity… How he wished that her idealism could become a reality… But no, the reality was harsh and cruel. They could never be together. Never.

"I'm sorry."

He tenderly caressed her hair, then leaned his forehead towards hers. He rested there for a while, with his eyes closed.

"You know how I feel about you. Never doubt that."

He looked into her eyes one more time, before cupping her face in his hands and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, full of sweetness and sadness. This was his goodbye. To protect her, he would never see her again.

And, with that last kiss, he left her alone in the dark.

She just stayed there, watching him disappear into the night. Although the pain of the loss was too much for her to bear, no tear escaped from her eyes. She was tired of crying, tired of suffering, tired of losing but, most of all, she was tired of being alone. But alone was what she was, again…

Nonetheless, she couldn't allow herself to be defeated. So, after a moment, she hold her head high and proud, turned her back to that cursed place and walked away – carrying the bittersweet pain of rejection piercing through her broken heart.


	4. Broken

This fic has sat in my drawer for almost a year.  
Angst alert. You were warned.

* * *

 **Broken**

He had been carelessness again. He had hurt her with his negligent behavior. Blue eyes, filled with tears, met the golden ones she was so used to... used to love, used to care. Love was not in question. It never had been.

They loved each other. However, like the serpent that eats his own tail, their relationship had a destructive cyclic nature. All the love in the world was not enough to prevent them to grow apart. When that happened, her insecurity would show. And he was always unable to deal with her fragilities... Instead, he would grow angry and cold. Then, he would become negligent in their relationship, distancing himself from her, until they burst into a fight.

Angry words cut more than samurai swords: they are sharper and accurate. But the silence that followed was even worst. It was a silence born from having had the same discussion too many times before… with the same result.

In a sense, they loved each other too much. They had fallen apart too many times before. They had tried to move on without each other. But, every single time, they found their way back to each other arms. Just to end up like this… both hurt, both defeated, both broken.

Why would they always end up hurting each other? The same man she shared a bed with and with whom she cuddled every night, was sat in the couch as far away from her as possible, after uttering the most hurtful things about her she had ever heard.

He was so close to her and, yet, so far…

She felt the need to leave and never see his face again. To hurt him like he had hurt her.

To see if he loved her enough to run after her…

But she knew this pattern all too well. She wouldn't leave. She had never left him before. She loved him too much for that… Besides, that was his role. He was always the one to give up and run away. But he always would come to his senses and eventually got back to her. Because he loved her as well.

How did they become this? When did they become this shadow version of their happy past? When did the fairytale end and this nightmare begun? Or there never had been a fairytale at all, only this dysfunctional relationship?

His golden eyes were clouded with pain and sorrow. She could see the reflection of her hopelessness on them.

She wanted nothing more than reach out for him, grab his hand and pull him close. However, she couldn't find in her the strength to do it. So, she just sat there, in silence, staring into the nothingness, feeling the love of her life slip through her fingers.

Love can be a salvation or a curse. And their cursed love had turned them into this: two damned souls, damaged and broken.


End file.
